John Crane
Republican | Indiana
Candidate Profile
Verified Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
John Crane
Party
Republican
Election Year
2016
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 24
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Trinity International University, Deerfield, IL, MA, 2001
Taylor University, Upland, IN, BA, 1995
Martinsville High School, Martinsville, IN, 1991
WORK & MILITARY
Sagamore Leadership Initiative, Inc., Founder and CEO, 2009 to present
Hoosier Times, Inc., Newspaper Columnist, 2014 to 2016
IN Family Institute's Hoosier Leadership Series, Program Director, 2013 to present
Grace College - Indianapolis, Adjunct Professor, 2012 to present
AFFILIATIONS
Kingsway Christian Church, Member and Teaching Leader, Indiana Family Institute
Board Member, Kingsway Education Task Force, Vice Chairman
Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Colson Fellow, The Acton Institute
Cook Fellow, Heritage Foundation, Member
Wounded Warrior Project, Contributor, Boy Scouts of America
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Curt Smith, President, Indiana Family Institute
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
Curt Smith, President of Indiana Family Institute
Dr. John Caldwell, Founder of Kingsway Church
Dr. Roc Byrd, Cornerstone Chiropractic
John Mollaun, Hope Healthcare Services
Chris Worley, Brownsburg Town Council
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Congress should repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Strongly Agree
Election of judges by the people for a definite term of office is the best way to select judges.
Agree
More restrictive gun control laws are needed to protect public safety.
Strongly Disagree
Government should enforce laws designed to protect the border and to prevent illegal entry into the country.
Strongly Agree
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States.
Strongly Agree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self-interest into the most productive economic system there is.
Strongly Agree
There should be a strict constitutional spending limit for state and local governments that would tie the rate of spending to the rate of population growth plus the rate of inflation.
Disagree
Marijuana should be legalized and regulated like tobacco and alcohol.
Strongly Disagree
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
The founders established pure democracy in the Constitution because they believed that it is the best form of government to ensure the safety and equitable treatment of all citizens.
Strongly Disagree
Free-market competition for education dollars, rather than a government monopoly, would create a better education for all students.
Strongly Agree
Where minor children are involved, divorce laws should be reformed to include mutual consent of both parents and an increased waiting period, unless there is fault or abuse.
Agree
The Ten Commandments should not be displayed in public school buildings.
Strongly Disagree
Business owners should be required by law to bake cakes, provide flower arrangements, etc., for same-sex weddings, even when these activities would infringe on their sincerely-held religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Our state should participate in the nationwide Common Core standards for high-school graduation.
Disagree
Physician-assisted suicide should be legal.
Strongly Disagree
The more people live by Judeo-Christian values, the less government is needed.
Strongly Agree
Islamic law (Sharia) does not pose a threat to the United States and its Constitution.
Strongly Disagree
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with public funds.
Strongly Agree
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.
Strongly Disagree
Planned Parenthood should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments.
Strongly Agree
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
Our Founding Fathers understood that the biblical concept of man's sin nature required that separation and limitation of powers. Because the founding of America was an experiment in whether or not a people could, in fact, govern themselves, Dr. Benjamin Rush, identified the need for a counter balance to that sin nature. As he wrote, "The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this, there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be liberty."
Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
God, Voters, Constitution, Congress, and Supreme Court
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Human life is sacred because each person is made in the image of God. Because life begins at conception, all innocent life should be protected at every stage of the human life cycle. Believing that a good God can bring beauty from tragedy regardless of the circumstances which resulted in one's pregnancy, I believe abortion should not be allowed at all (except perhaps in the very rare situation of needing to save the life of the mother). To destroy life at any point is to depreciate life at every point on that spectrum, thus putting every person ultimately at risk. Therefore, it is incumbent upon leaders to leverage our influence and commit to championing a culture of life whenever possible.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I became a Christian at an early age and have been privileged to grow up in a home which valued a conservative Christian worldview, combined with a recognition that we have been placed on this earth to love God by loving others. As Jesus embodied, we are here not to be served, but to serve. I believe all truth ultimately finds its origin in God, the Author of Truth. It is God, therefore, who has established the moral framework which has secured the foundation of our nation since its inception. We abandon God's law at our peril. equipping next generation leaders to positively impact their world, we help them recognize that every decision can ultimately be traced back to a person's underlying worldview. In a divergent nation such as ours, the public square is full of competing--and often conflicting--ideas. Therefore, the role of the Christian is to thoughtfully advance God's unchanging truth in our ever-changing times.
Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which of these best describes you?
Very Conservative
Please defend your answer to the previous question by referencing your publicly available track record.
A search of my family will confirm my strong conservative heritage. My grandfather, Dr. George W. Crane, wrote a nationally-syndicated newspaper column for over 50 years. And my uncle, Congressman Phil Crane, was a leader of the conservative movement. In addition to authoring "The Sum of Good Government" and "The Democrat's Dilemma", Phil Crane founded the Republican Study Committee in Congress, helped found the Heritage in 1973, and served as Chairman of the American Conservative Union, which was started by William F. Buckley in 1964. Phil also ran for president in the 1980 Republican Primary. Beyond that, my own leadership as a part of the Indiana Family Institute, Indiana Family Action, and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, as well as, my writings through my own newspaper column confirm why I have embraced the conservative philosophy, as well as, the responsibility and privilege of public service.
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you.
john@votecrane.com 317-450-0866
Additional comment from candidate:
I firmly believe that when we elect our leaders, we commission them to be our strongest advocates—-upholding our values and guarding against those forces that would threaten them. Our families and our future depend on thoughtful, principled, and ultimately, courageous leadership. As we’ve witnessed the erosion of certain foundational principles in recent years, however, we see too few leaders willing to stand as a bulwark against it. I believe then that our future depends on leaders who have a clear vision and the moral willpower to make the difficult decisions when necessary.
